Sunday, March 16, 2014

Time for talk is done for Colorado Rockies front office

The Colorado Rockies announced on social media sites that assistant general manager Bill Geivett will hop on Twitter on Tuesday to answer fan questions.

Earlier in the offseason, owner Dick Monfort fielded questions in the same manner. To say the questioning was embarrassing would be a huge understatement. Monfort felt the rage of the average Rockies fan, yet politely remained positive about the 2014 season.

While the move for Monfort was respectable, the fact is, when he opens his mouth to the media, and now to fans, it doesn't help public perception of him. He is a very genuinely nice man. However, the way the Rockies longtime owner comes across as incredibly clueless when he addresses the media and fans.

In the most laughable, yet painful, statements came when he said the Rockies have the top farm system in all of baseball. Either Monfort is lying, or he simply is uneducated.

With the Twitter failure that was Monfort's appearance, it seems that the Rockies are going to put someone who is slightly more polished in front of the fans. Geivett will take the stage, and presumably answer very similar questions.

Give the Rockies credit. They understand that the level of cynicism is high. They understand that fans aren't happy that the main draw to 20th & Blake is an outdoor bar with a view instead of a baseball team that can compete night-in and night-out.

However, talk is cheap. The Rockies front office can say all of the right words, they can say all of the right things to their fans in hopes of bringing excitement and luring their loyal followers back to the enthusiasm that they had when both Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez were signed to long-term deals after the 2010 season. They can talk all they want to, but it's time to prove it on the field.

Dan O'Dowd ripped Dexter Fowler's character before shipping him off to Houston in the offseason, Monfort fielded the Twitter questions, and not Geivett will do the same. The Rockies are notoriously sensitive to negativity. They don't like when anyone says anything negative about them. For years they have successfully been able to spin their struggles into positive.

The free pass that Rockies fans have given this franchise is officially over. No longer will fans accept the injury excuse as a reason for this team to struggle. No longer will Rockies fans wait around for the next batch of sure-fire prospects. This fan base is sick of excuses. They are sick of getting the run-around.

The reality is, the Rockies fan base is eager to be proven wrong. The anger and bitterness that has built up towards ownership and the front office is not something that any fan enjoys. This fan base would love to eat crow and admit that they were wrong about the incompetence of the front office.

At this point, however, no words that anyone says on Twitter or to the media is going to suddenly buy the trust that has been lost back.

The only thing that will cure the Rockies fans angst towards the front office is winning baseball. They have told us for years that they have the talent to win. The time is now to prove that it is more than talk. There are no more excuses for this franchise. It is time to win on the field. If they can't win on the field in 2014, it is time for ownership to admit that the fans were right and that this front office is indeed incompetent.

What happens if the Rockies do well this year? Are we as fan supposed to forgive and forget anything, or everything? While 07 was nice and 2010 was nice, it didn't really do anything in the long run. I'm not sure anything this team will do will satisfy the hard core fans.

What would the hard core fans do if Monforts sold the team today? Would that even be enough for the fans? What will it take?

I don't think that selling the team is the ultimate answer. I think what would satisfy most hardcore fans is a shift in mindset. Even if they keep losing, I think that Rockies fans would be ok if they knew that ownership isn't ok with losing. The excuses have to stop. Injuries happen to every team.

They also need to put a president into place. Dick Monfort has shown time and time again that he doesn't have baseball knowledge, he is simply an average fan. Evidence of that is shown when he says on Twitter that they have the best farm system in baseball. Either he is lying or he doesn't understand.

They need to set the bar higher. They need to quit making excuses for losing. Fans shouldn't be more sick of losing than the front office. This front office can't see the forest through the trees.

About Me

Born and raised in Colorado, I have followed the Rockies since their inception. I am a freelance writer who covers the Colorado Rockies for the Colorado Springs Gazette, doing their Rox/Sox blog. I have also covered the team for INDenverTimes.com, a spin off of the former Rocky Mountain News. Some of the best days of my life have involved the Rockies.